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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese toured flood-affected areas of Victoria, including the city of Melbourne, on Sunday, as three southeastern states continue to grapple with a flood crisis after days of heavy rain.
Parts of Victoria, southern NSW and northern Tasmania are under flood warnings after the weather system dumped more than a month of rain in the southeast last week.
The crisis comes after Australia’s eastern states were hit by severe flooding in early 2022, with the country suffering a third consecutive La Niña, bringing heavy rains.
“Australians are coming together, they’re helping each other, and we’re seeing the best of Australians again in the worst of times,” Albanese said in Melbourne, where a massive flood cleanup is underway.
Earlier, the Prime Minister flew over flood-affected parts of Victoria with Premier Daniel Andrews.
Albanese said “very severe weather events” were hitting the city and regional communities, with 60 Australian Defence Force personnel assisting with evacuations and sandbags.
He announced an emergency payment of A$1000 ($620) to Victorians who were seriously injured or whose homes were severely damaged or destroyed.
In Victoria, the most flooded state, the focus remains on the north, particularly in the city of Shepparton, where thousands of residents have been told it is too late to evacuate as water levels rise.
Videos on social media showed Shepparton residents kayaking on flooded streets, with much of the city submerged.
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In Melbourne, thousands of residents are swept up after the Maribyrnong River burst its banks on Friday, flooding suburbs close to the central business district.
A controversial flood wall has saved Melbourne’s iconic Flemington Racecourse from flooding, but some have blamed it for exacerbating flooding in nearby residential areas.
Victoria Emergency Services chief operating officer Tim Wiebusch said the state was experiencing “blue sky flooding” and the heavy rain had passed.
Victorian authorities on Saturday reported the emergency’s first flood death after the body of a man was found in floodwaters in Rochester, about 200km (120 miles) north of Melbourne.
At the NSW border, 74 warnings were issued on Sunday, with authorities particularly concerned about flooding in inland towns such as Forbes, Narrandera and Moama.
In Tasmania, 22 flood warnings are currently in effect, most of them around Launceston, the island’s second-largest city.
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